


An Artist's love

by Hotaru_Mizuno



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Art, Drawing, Fluff, Fluffity fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Nerdy Arthur, Other various Hetalia characters mentioned, jock alfred
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-04
Updated: 2019-08-04
Packaged: 2020-07-30 19:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20102185
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hotaru_Mizuno/pseuds/Hotaru_Mizuno
Summary: Arthur has an unhealthy indulgence; he started using Alfred Jones as his personal muse. Alfred Jones, jock, beautiful, friendly and ever so popular and forever out of his league. At least his drawings always provide comfort.





	An Artist's love

**Author's Note:**

> I'm slowly becoming busy again. School's about to pick back up again in about two weeks and my time will get eaten away. High school is always a stress fest no matter who you are. 
> 
> This fic is inspired by me personally. I have a habit of carrying sketchbooks around and drawing people I admire and it sounded like a cute little love story to write. 
> 
> Enjoy! ^^

_________________

Arthur had an entire sketchbook filled with drawings of Alfred Jones

He didn't know when he started using Alfred as his muse. Perhaps one day he saw Alfred in a different light for the first time, and he just had to put it down to paper. In some cases, he should hate Jones. He wanted to, actually, but he just couldn't. He was everything Arthur hated about high school. A jock, very popular, girls swooning over him all the time, good grades, the whole package deal.

Not to mention he was bloody handsome. The big part; he knew it. He enjoyed the attention. Arthur basically fell into his trap. Those sparkling blue eyes, that gleaming tan skin, that perfect body of his, there was no better word for it. He was just perfect.

Arthur had begun drawing him one day out of simple curiosity. And for an assignment in advanced art. Then, he never stopped. What could he say? He was smitten. He ended up developing a crush on Alfred Jones, and the only way to help it was to keep drawing him. 

He was always excited to draw Alfred. Alfred was so many different things at once. He wanted to perfectly capture his smile in all its glory and radiance. He wanted to capture how beautiful he looked when sprinting, running, extending a hand. 

One time, Arthur tried drawing Alfred with him. Alfred was extending his hand to Arthur, one of his big bright grins planted on his face. He tore that one out. It was a lie. A taunt.

He did want to ask Alfred out. But he never could. He would get rejected, laughed at. Why would such a perfect boy like Alfred want to be with a dorky and snobbish art nerd like Arthur? He couldn't face rejection. As much as he hated high school stereotypes, there was still the majority who thought it was everything. Alfred thought it was everything.

Arthur sat on a bench by himself out in the courtyard. He was usually by himself. Sometimes he would be joined by his friends. People judged and singled him out for not having many friends, but it wasn't really that he liked it alone. Of course, he did sometimes enjoy isolation, but it wasn't because of it. It was because he had standards. He wasn't a complete idiot like almost everyone else in this school; it wasn't his fault he found high school parties obstreperous and loud. 

Unfortunately, Francis was pursuing the latest girl, so he was on his own for lunch. Kiku preferred to eat with his brothers and sister most of the time. Gilbert had landed himself in detention. He was by himself. He preferred it that way today anyway.

It meant he could draw Alfred.

Alfred was joking around with his friends across the lawn. He was an idiot, but Arthur was in love with this idiot. This kind, charismatic, friendly idiot. He was annoying, but he always made up for it. That loud boisterous laugh of his always made him want to laugh himself. 

He was drawing portraits today. All of Alfred, each one expressing a different emotion. They were all positive ones, though. Alfred seemed much too happy today. He didn't want to draw him otherwise right now. Those glasses would always shine along with his smiles, he couldn't resist. He thought those girls swooning over him were crazy when they said he looked better in contacts. Alfred looked positivity gorgeous in glasses.

He was having trouble seeing Alfred from this angle though. A group of cheerleaders had joined their group today, all almost swarming around Alfred like flies. Arthur found such girls quite dull really. They were obviously only there because they thought Alfred was hot. They weren't really wrong, but regardless. There was a reason why Arthur had standards.

Arthur leaned over, sighing in frustration as the gorgeous boy turned out of view again. Dammit. Why was he such a lovesick fool anyway? It was obvious Alfred would never notice him, let alone ask him out. He was hopeless. Honestly, Alfred would probably go out with one of those cheerleaders with their fake highlights and fake big breasts anyway. People like Alfred just simply didn't date guys, and certainly not Arthur.

It wasn't like he could ever stop drawing him either. He had tried, but he just couldn't. Drawing Alfred always made him excited, made him feel better. There was just something about Alfred that made Arthur refuse to find a new muse, no matter the fact that Arthur virtually hadn't spoken a word to him.

Arthur looked up again and almost had a heart attack. Alfred was looking right at him! What had he done? He caught Arthur looking at him, didn't he? He didn't want the other to think he was some stalker! He quickly snapped back down, pretending to be drawing again. He quickly started moving his pencil, desperately hoping Jones would think it was just a coincidence.

Arthur chanced a glance and almost punched a hole with his pencil. Holy shit, Alfred was walking towards him!! Shit! Shit! What should he do?? He wasn't ready to talk to Alfred! He was going to ask why he was watching him, he knew it! He kept his eyes glued to the paper, desperately hoping Alfred was just walking towards a random person behind him. Not him. Anyone else but him.

"Hi!" 

Shit.

Arthur swallowed and slowly looked up, his heart racing as he forced himself to look at those gorgeous bright blue eyes that belonged to Alfred Jones. He was standing right in front of him, a grin on his face and hands stuffed firmly in his baseball jacket. "C-Can I help you?" Arthur stuttered. Oh, how he cursed his luck.

"Heh…I just came to say hi." Alfred said, giving Arthur the most gorgeous and friendly smile he had ever seen. Arthur felt his brain fail to function. What? Alfred of all people ...wanted to greet him?

"Um." Arthur blurted. Oh, what an idiot he was.

Alfred only laughed a little. "I'm sorry. I know you probably don't know who I am. I just needed to go someplace else."

Arthur felt his brows furrowed in confusion. Alfred wanted to go someplace else? So he chose him? Why? He could bet a hundred Alfred didn't even know his name. He cleared his throat, ignoring how his butterflies had begun screaming at him from the pits of his stomach. "G-Go someplace else? But…I thought…"

"That those people were my friends?" Alfred finished, shrugging. "To be honest, we only hang out because we play the same sport. 'Sides, ain't it pretty obvious those cheerleaders are only there because of me?"

"Yes," Arthur answered without thinking. He blushed harder. It was the truth, anyhow. But, it didn't explain why Alfred was here. In front of Arthur. Talking to him. He shrank into himself, not wanting to ask that one directly without it being previously addressed. That'll scare him away for sure.

"So…...Can I sit there?" Alfred asked cheerfully, gesturing to the empty spot on the bench next to Arthur. Arthur hesitated. The thing he had always wanted to happen was happening. Oh my God.

"Why me?" Arthur blurted without a thought. His mind began to race faster at once as he saw Alfred frown a little. Goddammit, Arthur! "I-I mean, not to be rude or anything but you and I don't really even know each other…."

"Yeah, I know…" Alfred trailed off, and for a moment Arthur could've sworn he saw anxiety in his eyes. Surely not? "But you seem pretty cool……..C'mon please?"

Arthur inwardly took a breath before nodding and scooting over an inch or two, signaling he could indeed sit down next to him. His mind felt like it would explode as he felt Alfred sit down next to him. Oh my God. Alfred thought he was cool ...?

"So! Whatcha drawing?" Alfred asked with his trademark fusion of curiosity and cheerfulness. 

"Uh." Arthur started, finally realizing the weird frenzied doodle he had drawn in his panic at the notion of Alfred had noticed him. He inwardly panicked as he looked down and saw a giraffe wearing a top hat.

"Aw, it looks really...British...like you!" Alfred joked, already looking at Arthur's sketchbook. Arthur thanked the gods he had thought to turn the page when faking drawing. There was no way he could let Alfred see all those drawings. 

"I'm English actually." Arthur corrected, not being able to resist leaving a grammatical error hanging. 

"What's the difference?" Alfred asked, shrugging. "Can you draw people?"

"Yes," Arthur confirmed.

"Cool! I'm shit at this art stuff." Alfred commented with a laugh that made Arthur's heart jump. He almost childishly lit up. "Hey, can you draw me?"

Arthur had to inwardly stop himself from laughing. Oh, the irony. Could he draw Alfred?  
Could he draw Alfred? Or, the better question; could he draw Alfred and make it look it like he had actually not been doing that for months and had mastered every detail of his face perfectly?

Arthur swallowed. "Yes, I can. If you want." Arthur said quietly. Oh, what was he doing? He was ruining everything, wasn't he?

Alfred brightened up. "Can you? Do I have to pay you or anything?

Ha. He had been doing the same thing for free for months. Haha, laughs. "No, you don't. I don't charge every time Gilbert asks for a portrait, I suppose it's only fair I do the same for you."

"Cool! I ran outta' allowance anyway. Can I see it tomorrow?" 

Arthur considered this. He really shouldn't. He didn't want to ruin his chances with the object of his romantic interests for a year now. He was an art nerd; Alfred would find him dreadfully boring. But then again, Alfred had never noticed him before….

"Alright then…" Arthur answered nervously, nodding slowly. His heart raced madly at the thought. He was talking to Alfred Jones. Alfred Jones wanted to meet him tomorrow. Alfred fucking Jones wanted to meet him tomorrow.

"Cool! I can't wait!"

_________________ 

In the end, Arthur did almost think it was some kind of prank. It seemed rational, or at least it did to Arthur. It was heartbreaking, but the thought of Alfred ever paying him any attention was something inconceivable all on its own. 

Thankfully, and to Arthur's immense relief and surprise, it wasn't. Alfred actually showed up, in his same happy and sunny demeanor that he was the day before. The compliments he received for the drawing made Arthur's heart soar.

"This is awesome! You drew this?" Alfred asked, smiling warmly at the piece of thick sketch paper in his hands.

Arthur only nodded slowly. He was too afraid to speak. Surely he would mess up and say something stupid, he could not trust himself to speak when he was so flustered and his mind was racing so fast that plastic would melt.

"You should seriously do this as a career. This is really cool." Alfred complimented. Arthur wondered if this bright ball of sunshine next to him could get any brighter. Or if he could get any closer. If Alfred brushes his side again, he swore he will go insane. Damm this school and their tiny benches.

"I do plan to be a novelist," Arthur said. "Drawing and writing is an ambition of mine."

"Oh, that's cool. I don't know yet, kinda depends on what I want to major in." Alfred said shrugging.

"Mm," Arthur muttered. He panicked when he saw the other eyeing his sketchbook. 

"Can I have a look?" Alfred asked, gesturing at his sketchbook in childish curiosity.

"No!" Arthur yelped, yanking it away from Alfred. He saw Alfred's face morph into confusion and blushed profoundly. He could never let Alfred see all those drawings! He would think he was a stalker! He would scare away Alfred for sure. "I-I mean ... it's personal."

For a moment, Arthur could've sworn Alfred looked…..disappointed. No, he was hallucinating. For sure. There was no way. However, Alfred only smiled it away. "That's alright! I get it!." 

At that moment, the bell rang, ending Arthur's time with Alfred. Arthur felt his stomach drop in disappointment. Surely Alfred wasn't planning to talk to him after this encounter.

"Mmm. I guess I should go. Hey! Wanna meet again tomorrow?" Alfred asked hopefully, getting up from his seat on the bench

What? Arthur was taken aback. Alfred actually wanted to hang out with him beyond this? But why? "I-I…..sure," Arthur answered, nodding.

"Great!"

_________________ 

Arthur was running as fast as his scrawny legs could take him.

He had been a fool! He had left his sketchbook in a class! Not just any class, biology in last hour! That was the one and only class he shared with Alfred! What if he picked it up and looked inside? What if another random student looked in it and then told Alfred? What if a teacher saw?

He had walked halfway down the parking lot before he realized the strange emptiness in his arm that his sketchbook usually filled. All the rest of the panic came when he realized where he left it. He had always made special care to make sure nobody will ever see inside his sketchbook. Not even Francis. 

He nearly crashed on the door frame and almost ripped the door open, inwardly crying in relief he got there before the teacher came back and locked it. He stumbled in, only to see his worst nightmare.

Alfred, sitting there. His back turned and staring at his open sketchbook.

Arthur made a small sputtering noise, his mouth open in horror. Alfred had seen it! Alfred had seen his drawings! Every single one, all of himself! He was going to know now! He was doomed!

Alfred turned sharply around, a noise of shock coming from his mouth. "A-Arthur! I-I...this isn't what it looks like!"

Arthur felt the dread sink in. Alfred was going to laugh now. He knew it. He didn't want to see Alfred do that to him. He closed his mouth, his mind racing. What could he do now? He felt himself take a step back and did the only thing his instincts told him to. 

He ran.

He ignored Alfred calling out on shock, and ran faster, back out the door and down the halls. He didn't dare look behind his shoulder. He considered the possibility that Alfred might try to follow him and quickened his pace. He knew this was childish and irrational, but he didn't care right now. He just couldn't face Alfred right now.

He didn't stop until he rounded a corner and hid behind a vending machine. He panted heavily and leaned on the cold metal, panic flooding his mind. It wasn't like he couldn't replace that sketchbook, he already had spares.

Still, though. Alfred Jones had found out his little secret. Oh, he was so screwed. He might as well crawl into a hole and die.

"Hey!" A voice called, way too close to him for comfort.

Arthur practically screamed as he turned and saw Alfred, having just caught up to him. He turned sharply and tried to run off again, but the jock grabbed his wrist before he could.

"Don't run away! Please! We can just talk!" Alfred said, his grip much too strong for Arthur to pull away. The football quarterback was just no match for someone like Arthur.

"Let go of me!" Arthur protested, yanking his arm all the same. He needed to get out of there!

"Arthur! Please! I promise I won't laugh or anything! I just want to talk!" Alfred almost pleaded, and the tone made Arthur hesitate, just enough to glance back and find Alfred staring back at him, pleading, almost puppy dog eye stare to match.

Arthur sighed apprehensively and stopped struggling, looking away from Alfred and instead at his red converses. What was he doing? He was constructing his own doom!

"Geez! You run faster than me even!" Alfred huffed, letting go of Arthur's wrist. Arthur shrank into himself, preparing for the worst. Alfred seemed to notice this and frowned. "You drew these? Everything in this notebook?" He asked, holding up Arthur's sketchbook.

What was the use of denying it? Arthur didn't have a way out, the fact he had that book alone was enough. Slowly, he nodded, keeping his eyes glued to his shoes.

"They're…." Alfred began, and Arthur almost winced, ready for an insult. But to his surprise, Alfred laughed. "They're amazing! God...I ...Why would you draw me like this?" He asked, confused.

Well, he wasn't expecting ignorance. Or any of this. Arthur swallowed. "Because…." Should he really just tell Alfred the truth? He did feel the jock deserved a real answer. Lying to this person felt like kicking a puppy. "B-Because, you're my muse."

"Muse?" Alfred repeated, staring with his great big blue eyes. They seemed slightly confused, and Arthur panicked.

"I-I tried drawing you once, and I sort of just fell in love with you, and I couldn't stop, and I knew you'd never accept my feelings so I just kept drawing you." He realized the full intensity of what he just said and took a step back. "I-I'm sorry if it creeps you out ...we can just pretend like we never met…"

Alfred suddenly looked horrified. "What? No! We can't do that! It's not creepy... it's honestly...flattering!" 

Arthur widened his eyes in surprise. He was anticipating a negative reaction, not this. Alfred actually found this ... flattering? He wasn't taunting him? Making fun of him? "W-Wha…..I don't understand."

"Arthur, I thought you were smart." He chuckled a little. "Dude, why do you think I suddenly started talking to you? I wouldn't just leave ya' hangin'! I have a crush on you too!"

Arthur felt his stomach jump into his throat. "What?"

"Heh...wasn't expecting to just confess like that." Alfred smiled nervously. His cheeks were faintly pink, a blush forming. "I… well I guess. I have a crush on you too, and I have for almost a year now. I just now got the confidence to finally talk to you and stuff and I...was so scared you might not like me back, you have no idea how happy this makes me!"

Arthur blinked, feeling the butterflies throwing a victory party in his insides. Alfred was admiring him? Him? The rude and standoffish art nerd? Impossible…. "M-Me? I-I ... b-but ... why? Surely there are better choices."

"Are you kidding? Of course you! No one in this school is as good at drawing as you! Plus, you're adorable and cute and gosh, those words mean the same thing, don't they?" Alfred said, embarrassed of his rambling. Arthur nearly laughed at how nervous Alfred was. "I...you're just adorable, and smart, and funny…. Why would I want someone else?"

Arthur didn't know if his face could get any warmer. "That's...sweet." His mind searched for other things to say. "Can I have my sketchbook back?"

Alfred thought for a moment, and in one movement, stuffed it behind his back. "Nope!"

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "No?"

"Nope! Not until we go on a date!" Alfred declared, grinning at his plan. Arthur felt a smile rise out of all the panic and happiness and crazy mess going on in his head. Honestly, this jock was so childish.

"I...I suppose so. Do...Do you like movies?" He asked, throwing it out there.

"Yeah! Not horror though, I can't stand those." Alfred said happily. He smiled. "I don't have practice or a game on Friday. We can exchange numbers and you can meet me at my house, then I can give your sketchbook back."

Honestly, nothing sounded better. Arthur smiled gently. "Deal."

**Author's Note:**

> You, know guys, I now have a discord server! If you want to talk and conversate or ask questions and make fanfic requests,server is always open.  
https://discord.gg/zPdE9Qe


End file.
